From Scientific American

From Scientific American

Outline What is and isn t Mindfulness? How did this become a Movement? How is it practiced? Does it work? In health? In Illness? If yes, Is there any scientific evidence?

Mindfulness What is it? Paying attention to the present moment Not resort to the default mode of worrying about the past or planning for the future. How? With curiosity To sights, sounds, surroundings, body, thoughts, emotions, feelings, how do they arise, how do they disappear - everything that the moment holds. And - Without judgment Bringing attention, repeatedly, to the present moment.

MUNINDRA JI Guru of IMS Teachers If you want to understand your mind simply sit down and observe it It is discovery during introspection It is just life

Mindfulness What it is Not Not a relaxation exercise Not a quick fix for an ailment Not a silver bullet that cures everything Not a technique Not a religion The course is Not psychotherapy Not a Buddhist class Not an attempt to convert anyone to anything

Mindfulness Has Arrived February 2014 2010

Mindfulness Has Taken Over

Mindfulness Movement From East to West 1960 s Joseph Goldstein, Sharon Salzburg, Jack Kornfield (Insight Meditation Society) 1970 s Jon Kabat-Zinn 1980 s Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) 1990 s and present Scientific exploration of Mindfulness

First Article by Jon Kabat-Zinn

Articles on Mindfulness From 1980-2013

How to Practice Mindfulness? MBSR Course palousemindfulness.com* Goals of the course Understanding and practicing mindfulness and heartfulness How it is organized Once a week sessions for 8 weeks Daily mindfulness practices (Formal & Informal) Maintain records of the practices Learning materials (written and video clips) Graduate with a Certificate Pre- and post-course survey *Free Online Course

Daily Mindfulness Practices FORMAL Body Scan Meditation Sitting Meditation Mindful Yoga 1 & 2 Loving-kindness Med. Mountain Meditation Lake Meditation RAIN Meditation Soften, Soothe, Allow Meditation Silent Meditation INFORMAL Simple Awareness Pleasant Events Unpleasant Events STOP One Minute Breathing Space Five Step PAIN Process Soften - Soothe Allow Communications

Weekly Topics Understanding Simple Awareness How to deal with Thoughts How to deal with Emotions / Pain Research Stress Communication Compassion, to self and others Resilience

Essential Attitudes Prerequisites for Mindfulness Practice Acceptance Beginner s mind (not a know it all) Letting go or Letting be, This too shall pass Non-judging Non-striving Patience Trust

Essential Components Prerequisites for Mindfulness Practice Letters of the alphabet (James R Doty MD) C Compassion, Curiosity D Dignity E Equanimity, Empathy F Forgivenness G Gratitude, Generosity H Humility, Humor I Integrity J Justice, Joy K Kindness L Love

Does it Work? Mindfulness in Wellness Easier learning Improved memory Increased self-awareness More compassion Improved introspection Decrease in anxiety Increase in perception Better body awareness Better pain tolerance Improved emotion regulation Improved complex thinking Better Self-regulation Effective decision making capabilities Better able to manage stress Improved resilience

How Do We Know? Initial Empirical Studies on the Effects of MBSR Correlational Research on Mindfulness and Psychological Health Populations studied: Undergraduate students Adults in the community Clinical subjects Using surveys / questionnaires before and after Reviewed by S Keng

Changes in Brain and Immune Function Before and After MBSR Randomized control study Brain electrical activity before and after 8 wk. MBSR 25 subjects with 16 controls (Biotech co. employees) Significant activity in left-sided activation = positive affect Significant increases in antibody titers to Flu vaccine Higher the activation higher the titers Richard Davidson et al: Psych. Som. Medicine 2003

Changes in Brain Structure After 8 Weeks of MBSR Mindfulness practice leads to increases in regional gray matter density Evidence for Neuroplasticity Holzel, Lazar et al 2011

Richard Davidson PhD Science of Mindfulness https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gok2dutd WE&t=107s

Brain Regions Involved in Mindfulness

Excerpt From Anderson Cooper 60 Minutes with Judson Brewer MD, PhD https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bu04ge8lz CE

Posterior Cingulate Cortex Part of Self Referential * Network PCC fires up with Guilt, Craving, Rumination, Anxiety, Fear PCC dormant while in meditation *ME ME ME ME ME DEFAULT MODE

Differences Between Non-Meditators and Meditators

Mental States when PCC is Deactivated

Mental States when PCC is Activated

Mindfulness In Wellness Works

By Neuroplasticity of Specific Brain Regions

How Stress Affects the Brain Madhumita Murgia et al TEDEd https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bchj8uf8j2k

How Stress Affects the Body Sharon Bergquist et al TEDEd https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-t1z5-optu

Effects of Chronic Stress Irritability Restlessness Moodiness Feeling isolated Overwhelmed Insomnia Forgetfulness Lack of motivation Increased heart rate Increased blood pressure Headache Heartburn Irritable Bowel Syndrome Increased weight gain

Effects of Chronic Stress CHO craving Insulin Resistance Heart disease Increased susceptibility to infection Slow wound healing Acne Hair loss Sexual dysfunction Headache Muscle tension Fatigue Difficulty concentrating Acid reflux

Robert Sapolsky PhD How the Type A Personality = Heart Disease Connection was Discovered https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jvxfce4f9xo&t =47s

Mindfulness in Illness Beneficial Effects Anxiety Arthritis Constipation Cough Depression Diabetes G. I. Symptoms Headaches Hypertension Insomnia Menopausal symptoms Pain of all kinds PTSD Side effects of cancer therapy Slow wound healing

A New Wisdom / Way of Being Everyone suffers (experiences stress) It s the nature of human existence Letting go, Letting be, This too shall pass We cannot expect others to be who we want them to be, say, do, behave in that particular way Knowing A transaction between us & the environment Practicing The meaning we bring to the transaction, and our perspective can determine how we handle the stress

Jon Kabat-Zinn How / Why He Started Mindfulness https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cd_wlmlf soi

Jon Kabat-Zinn Perhaps ultimately, spiritual simply means experiencing wholeness and interconnectedness directly, a seeing that individuality and the totality are interwoven, that nothing is separate or extraneous. If you see in this way, then everything becomes spiritual in its deepest sense. Doing science is spiritual. So is washing dishes.

Albert Einstein There are only two ways to live your life One is as though nothing is a miracle The other is as though everything is a miracle

The End